Derby winner Orb draws rail for Preakness

Orb still heavy favorite for Preakness Stakes

Kentucky Derby winner Orb has drawn the rail in Saturday's Preakness and has been installed an overwhelming even-money favorite in the nine-horse race.

Orb will seek to keep alive his bid to become horse racing's first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. Orb won the Derby by 2 1/2 lengths as the betting favorite.

The brown colt is looking for his sixth-straight victory as part of the smallest Preakness field since 2007. Govenor Charlie, trained by Bob Baffert, added his name to the list Wednesday for the 1 3/16th-mile race.

Horse

Post

Odds

Orb

1

1-1

Goldencents

2

8-1

Titletown Five

3

30-1

Departing

4

6-1

Mylute

5

5-1

Oxbow

6

15-1

Will Take Charge

7

12-1

Govenor Charlie

8

12-1

Itsmyluckyday

9

10-1

ORB (PP #1; 1-1) -- Trainer Shug McGaughey: "Well, he won the Fountain of Youth from the '1.' His first race was from the '1' and he finished third in a very good race. Obviously, if I was going to pick it out, I wouldn't have picked the '1.' But with only nine horses in there to run a mile and three-sixteenths, with a rider like Joel (Rosario), he's going to figure out what to do. He'll have him in the right spot.

"I'm not sure that I would have picked the '1' out of there. If it had come out the '1' in the Derby, you'd almost have felt like you needed to go home, but I don't feel that way here."

(On have speedy Goldencents and Titletown Five to his outside) "Goldencents with the '2' probably forces our hand a little bit, but we'll just see what some of the others do. Titletown Five is probably going to show some speed coming off a mile race. I think the field will spread itself out to where we'll be able to get a position and do what we want to do."

(What was going on in your mind as the draw went along) "I was probably thinking, 'I hope I get one of those outside numbers and not the '1.' Really, I was not nearly as worried this time as I was two weeks ago (for the Kentucky Derby draw).

"I'm looking forward to Saturday afternoon. We've got an even-money shot in the Preakness. What more could I ask for?"

(Did you think even-money was the correct odds) "Yes, I did. I saw in the papers it being bounced around at even money or 4-5. I might have been a little bit surprised that he is even- money and the second choice is 5-1. It's a pretty good spread. We'll see what the public does. As I've always said, I wish everything I ran was even-money or the favorite because they've got something on their line that makes them that way. Orb is that way, too."

MYLUTE (PP #5; 5-1) -- General Manager Todd Quast, GoldMark Farm: "We're ecstatic about it. With this horse, it doesn't matter as much, but it sure is nice being inside, a little bit toward the middle, and then having Orb inside us and Departing inside us, the two big threats. It's great to be outside of them.

"In the Derby, we actually had the same path, basically, as Orb did, but he was three or four lengths in front of us. This time, maybe we keep a little better eye on him with his being on the inside, and we'll see what happens."

DEPARTING (PP #4; 6-1) -- Trainer Al Stall Jr.: "Everything’s fine. There are only nine horses, so the position isn’t that important. (Orb) isn't going to go on with it, so he's going to have to go around. Out of the nine numbers, the '1' is probably the one you want the least."

"I love it," said jockey Kevin Krigger. "We were just looking at the past performances, and we should be able to get a good spot."

ITSMYLUCKYDAY (PP #9; 10-1) -- Trainer Eddie Plesa Jr.: "My lucky number, 9. I feel good about it. My horse is training excellent. I like being on the outside. I'm going to leave it up to (jockey) John Velazquez. We've got tactical speed, so he can put this horse wherever he wants. You can just draw a line through that last race and forget about it."

(Does everybody fear the rail?) "Really, nobody ever wants to be down inside. You always think, 'It's OK, it's OK,' but it just adds a little more pressure to you because you need the trip. Orb is a good horse. Hopefully, he will overcome it."

WILL TAKE CHARGE (PP #7; 12-1) -- Trainer D. Wayne Lukas: "It's of no consequence out there. That's good. I don't think I can make an excuse for any post positions at all. I think I did fine. I'll have to come with a different alibi tomorrow. I don't know that the rail's all that bad or the outside either."

OXBOW (PP #6; 15-1) -- Trainer D. Wayne Lukas: "I was satisfied all the way around with my three horses, especially Oxbow. It's a small field with a good run to the turn. I don't think it’s very significant, except maybe for Orb. Oxbow for a change got a decent post position, so that's going to help there. I like what happened there very much."

TITLETOWN FIVE (PP #3; 30-1) -- Trainer D. Wayne Lukas: "He's got good tactical speed, so I think that's fine. He will be somewhere in the mix early, so that's OK."

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